Vino, wein, vin Wine In any other language is just as sweet……. Or dry.

I can’t say that I have visited many vineyards or taken the infamous Napa Valley tour, but I have tasted wines of many varietals some from the grocery store and some that I will probably never have the financial capability to purchase. I am a firm believer that there is a perfect wine for ever food and every occasion and want to share a little of what brings me joy during these somewhat dreary winter months.

Growing up in an Italian family, wine has be an integral part of family meals for as long as I can remember. Not until recently, however, did I understand just how big the wine industry truly is or how well wine pairs with my two all time favorite foods…Chocolate and Cheese! I am always looking for recommendations on everything from wine to movies, so I am passing some of my vini preferiti to you.

Big Reds
California

Starting with the ever popular Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab’s will generally be full bodied with bold notes of chocolate, tobacco and currant. My favorite Cabernet Sauvignon right now is the 2007 Burly from Napa Valley California.

Burly delivers a well balanced fruit in the front and silky oak and cocoa in the back. (laymans terms: fruity and smooth not too spicy or dry) Suggested retail is $60.00/ bottle and is said to age well for up to 5 years.

On the spicier side of Cabernet Sauvignons you will find 2006 Silver Oak Alexander Valley out of Sonoma County.

Silver Oak Alexander delivers a rich aromatic attack to the pallet with a full body and a long spicy finish. (layman terms: BIG flavor and rather spicy and heavy) Suggested retail is $70.00/ bottle and will drink well through 2026.

Australia

Moving down under, Australia is known for its Shiraz. Shiraz wines tend to have a more earthy flavor with bold notes of pepper, blackberry, tobacco, and smoke. The two Shiraz that I have fallen in love with both happen to be from McLaren Vale.

The first is MollyDooker (Aussie for left hander) Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz with a burnt spicy nose and rich dense fruit flavors of plum and ripe berries.(Layman Terms: fruity, spicy and bold) Suggested retail is $49/ bottle and is best when drank in the next two years paired with sausage, curries and roasts. All MollyDooker wines contain nitrogen and it is suggested to do the “MollyDooker Shake” rather than decanting the wines. http://www.mollydooker.com/

Another Shiraz from McLaren Vale that both my mouth and my pocket love is Gotham Langhorne Creek Shiraz. Do not be scared of the screw top, cork is overrated these days. Gotham is not as peppery as some but more of a jammy fruit bomb with a small peppery finish. (Laymen terms: FRUITY and some light spice) It retails for under $20/ bottle.
Crisp Whites-
California

Chardonnay is one of the drier of the white wines. As a whole, white wines tend to be sweeter and crisper than reds. Chardonnay is known for having bold flavors of butter, apple, vanilla, melon, and occasionally oak. Flora Springs Chardonnay Barrel Fermented blends a bright taste of fruit with silky butter creaminess for a refreshing and balanced flavor for $30/ bottle. (Laymen terms: not too dry not too fruity) To nix the oak flavors try the Flora Springs napa valley Chardonnay for $21/ bottle.

If you are more apt to purchase wine a the grocery store like me, don’t fret, I have some recommendations that can be found at your local grocer! Ghost Pines 2006 Merlot from Napa and Sonoma Counties is a nice bright red with plum and black cherry sold for between $15-20/ bottle. Ravenswood Vinters Blend Zinfandel is another great taste with lots of berries and spicy oak and sells for $10/ bottle.

Fernau & Hartman, Avis Compound Granary MT

So maybe cruisin' is not the only way to rideeee

1930 Art Deco Henderson

It's old and gorgeous!  And a great start to this entry of amazing machines.

This bike was actually customized before WWII. This is what I would call form OVER function.  All mechanics hidden and body streamlined. The company dissipated during the great depression leaving only Indian and Harley Davidson..... and many more to follow.

135hp Ecosse Iconoclast

The Iconoclast is quick, at less than three seconds to 60 mph. But you’ll need to be even quicker to get your hands on one. Just eleven will be made

RogueMoto Kickboxer

Skip ahead to the future.....2013 maybe?

 It is a concept from Ian McElroy using a Subaru motor. "If the KickBoxer makes the transition from CAD program to showroom floor, the Ecosse will have a serious rival at the stoplight Grand Prix."

1934 BMW

Various specialists at the BMW workshop discovered the original design drawings in the archive collections and conjured up the ghosts from Streamline Moderne’s past. Missing parts were sourced, others were rebuilt, the chrome was polished and the frame was painted black. And the final test, retuning the 1934 BMW motorcycle to the street, proved to be worth the wait nearly three quarters of a century later. - Andrew J Wiener via Bike Exif


 



BMW M1



Bugatti

Dodge Challenger

Boudoir Miss Regina

The new color pallet of my bedroom!



crystal clear



aqueduct

  

black of night

   

cast iron

   


contented                convivial yellow

 



 







my new bed with new duvet, pillows and some wonderful textures!



Window/Wall piece with fall leaves and wood design



new lamp



 It is a little different than this year's Pantone color, honeysuckle, but pink has never truly been a large part of my style. I guess I am out of style for the year!  Honeysuckle might appear for me in a swimsuit or two this coming summer but I do not see it going much further than that!  Love the color just not for me!

Honeysuckle



And according to the new 2011 Charles Luck Perspectives I fall somewhere in the "understated" and "blend" trends with a little heritage and vintage thrown in to taste.  They haven't released quite yet but will in the next few weeks and I will be sure to share. 





Tinkering Garage Gone Global

What exactly is an interdisciplinary design studio? According to Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio, and Charles Renfro the 60 plus person firm has “realized work of civic and cultural significance through a practice that straddles design, the visual arts, and the performing arts.”



Part of the DS+R firm with Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio and Charles Renfro at the bottom right in black at the recently finished High Line in NY

 The group prides themselves on being indifferent to specific terminology and disciplinary conventions. Their studio is similar to hands on tinkering garage ranging in all levels of expertise. The product of the firm’s experimentation ranges from performance art to built form, but always questions boundaries of cultural and social norms. I typically refer to them as artistic inventors for lack of any one defining term, and I imagine the group would not like to be pigeonholed into any one specific category. The index on the firm’s website categorizes each work into a loose grouping for easier navigation. http://www.dsrny.com/

The introduction of Diller Scofidio +Renfro into my architectural vocabulary originates with the Blur Building. The principals refer to this project as“architecture of atmosphere.” In simple terms it is a platform built on Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland that uses natural and manmade forces to create a fine water mist fog as the defining feature or enclosure to the “building.” The Blur Building essentially is a 50,000 square foot experiment redefining the term “built form” while creating a building that entices all of the senses simultaneously and directly. There are more theoretical and mechanical processes than can be inferred, but are meant to be hidden from the voyeurs.

Exposition pavilion: Swiss Expo Yverdon Le Bains (Lake Neuchatel) 2002

I highlight the Blur Building as an example not only because it was my first encounter but it incorporates built form, sensory experiences, and experimentation and building of systems. Some of their recent works include the Landscape Master plan of the High Line in New York, the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Expansions, and the Be Yourself performance.

Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Renovation, DC

High Line, NY

This is a quick introduction to Diller Scofidio + Renfro is meant to spark curiosity and hopefully paint an accurate picture of what a modern inventors look like. I would encourage anyone who is remotely interested to check out the firm’s unique website for more insight into what they are all about. I hold them as an inspiration and have learned two important ideals from studying DS+R’s work: nothing is impossible until you have exhausted every idea and material, and you can exercise your voice through more than speech.

Auld Lang Syne

Where do New Year’s Resolutions come from?

Believe it or not they originated in 153 BC from Roman mythology. In fact, January is named after the Roman god, Janus, god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. Only cultures that use the 365 day calendar celebrate New Years festivities on January 1st, though some form of New Year’s traditions are integral to many societies. In western civilization gifts have always been exchanged even though the specific date of celebration for the new year has gone through some changes.

Ancient Roman coin depicting two faced god Janus

We carry on the tradition of gift giving on December 25th and hold off making resolutions until January 1st. Making a resolution was formerly a tribute to god Janus in celebration of being given a new beginning. A personal resolution trends in the betterment of ones’ life. Many times exercise and/or health ranks at the top of most popular resolutions, hence the reason there is such a rapid increase of gym goers in January (that and the fact that everyone has just indulged in multiple holiday feasts!)

Health and money continue to top the charts as the most popular resolutions, however it is interesting to see how the trendy resolutions change from year to year.

Charts of top new years resolutions taken from 43things.com

Some Charles Luck ideas and outlooks for 2011.

“I have always liked the idea of personal goals but never really had many new years resolutions. My belief is anyone can start a goal anytime they want. The more you share your goals (with significant other, friends, co-workers) the more likely you can achieve them. Putting your goals in writing increases success as well. All this can definitely work with NY resolutions.

As for the goals themselves – balancing life is key for me. I think of it in terms of marriage, friends, family, career, spiritual, education, community and health. “

~ Bill Eubank



“My New Year’s resolution is to spend more quality time with my significant other. Make an effort to find time to share things with each other and invest in listening. Turn the tv, blackberry, ipad, ipod, computer, etc. off and enjoy each other’s company and remember why we fell in love.”

~ Heather Reid



“My personal trouble with new year’s resolutions is that my effort waxes and wanes before ultimately fizzling out a few months later. This year I have decided to set a specific target date of May 15th. On this day I will be running the Pittsburgh half marathon. Not only does this give me a reason to get back into exercising, stay in shape, get what I pay for, but also a travel destination to one of my favorite cities! (I figure by publicly proclaiming this to many co-workers, friends and family I have locked myself in to being held accountable by many.)”

~ Meghan Meyers



To all of the eLan vital  Blog readers have a safe and prosperous New Year and see you in 2011!!!!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

and days of auld lang syne?

(auld lang syne = Scottish for good old days!)

The most wonderful time of the year

Fall is my favorite season or as Luke would say "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" It always makes me feel rejuvinated to list all of the things about fall and all of the traditions that take place during the season, there is a lot to give thanks for.... we all know that it is also a crazy time of year as well!

 without further adu..

I love that the humidity is gone and the breeze gains a sort of cripsness, the amazing colors associated with the season - the color of the leaves against a blue sky while driving down a country road, MUMS! the colors of these fall flowers closely matches the leaves, of course boots of all shapes and sizes, sweaters, hoodies & sweatpants, open windows letting the smell of the season into the house and not having to use air or heat but being able to cuddle up under a warm blanket, Football, Oktoberfest beer, homemade applesauce and thick soup, Ham Pot Pie  Thanksgiving giving way to 4 wheeling in the mud but if for nothing else the getting together of everyone for that reason alone... to get together, pumpkin pie, camping - it has been too long since I have seen Beaver damn and been to the water tower!, Halloween with all the trimmings of haunted houses scary stories around a fire and apple cider spiked with captain morgan..... or not. hay rides, and of course birthdays ;)